Compassionate gift bill on fast track

JUNEAU - A legislative staffer who wants to donate a kidney to an ailing lawmaker will not run afoul of new ethics rules under a bill being fast-tracked through the state Legislature.

Sue Stancliff, an aide to a Fairbanks lawmaker, was barred from donating a kidney to Nome Democrat Richard Foster because of the expense surrounding the donation.

A new ethics law last year put a $250 limit on compassionate gifts. The kidney itself has no monetary value under federal law but the bill would lift the limit on donations of expenses such as travel and medical costs.

House Bill 317 moved out of the House State Affairs Committee on Tuesday. The chairman of the next committee said he intends to waive it on to the House Floor.